Ondfødt – Det Österbottniska Mörkre

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Finnish black metallers Ondfødt will drop its newest album “Det Österbottniska Mörkre” on May 26th via Black Lion Records. Formed in 2013 by Dario Kåll (guitars) and Owe Inborr (vocals, guitars) with new members joining the fold in 2023 such as Joel Notkonen (bassist) and Tommi Tuhkala (drums). Over the last decade, Ondfødt went through some musical changes, but there seems to be a fundamental aim to take the music to the next level and this is what makes the fourth album a great achievement for the band.

The album’s title track “Det österbottniska m​ö​rkret” opens with a sinister atmosphere intro releasing cold chilling ominous noise and the growing suspense that depicts otherworldly trees of some ancient forest perfectly describe the album’s cover art. What follows next is “Tvetalan” which is a blistering assault of monstrous black metal riffing, blast beats, and sharp throat-cutting screams. On the sonic level, Ondfødt injects blazing riffs and frenzied drums, moving between fast dynamics and caustic riffage. Every track begins with dark, sinister tremolos backed by furious drums which then alternate between slow tempos. Another standout track is “Furstins Tid” which builds up on the heavy guitar currents with the expertly crafted rhythm, reverberating catchy melodies to imbue the song with a malicious sound.

The fourth album showcases the intense song structure as we stumble deep into the evil atmosphere of the tremolo-picked riffs. “Tå Do Dör” begins with blazing guitars and solid pummeling drums, and even though the majority of the songs sound harsh, there is something sinister about the mood and ambiance. Malevolently bleak and subversive Ondfødt merges plenty of reverb-drench tremolos and this somehow renders the compositional aesthetic of Finnish black metal. The production is massive in a sense that it gives the music an engrossing heaviness. Having the guitars and the drums superbly capped off with walls of noise, the next track “Where Death Roams” shows the immense power of the blistering guitars and screeching vocals. The sonic potency of the dual guitars provides a dense raw black metal riffage the band offers some brooding and catchy atmosphere midway through the track.

Ondfødt manages to expand its composition by adding some ethereal choirs and atmospheric hooks, offering a more otherworldly experience. This prominent aspect of the Finnish quartet exploits its unique ability to combine different elements into the music. While most of the songs are sung in the native language tracks like “Falskhejtins folk” are charged with driven tremolos, Ondfødt eschews melodies preferring to deliver a venomous and old-fashioned black metal. The drums are often fast-paced, but there are some slower tempo changes that push the dynamics. For example, “Själavandring” kicks into a dark guitar rhythm mixing the hellish brutality of the drums. The track has some catchy moments when the galloping drums and the bass guitar undercurrent followed by a blistering guitar solo section performed by Jacob Björnfot (Kvaen).

Höstfruktan” propels out an exercise in brutality and aggression that balances catchy swift tremolo-picked riffs, the perfect insertion of dark atmospheric guitars provides some memorable moments to this track. The band has successfully balanced a mixture of vile black metal aggression and bleak melodies that coexist as one, a perfect execution that can only be concocted by band members of remarkable talent and experience.

And with this stellar consistency and relentless brutal tempos, Ondfødt has shaped an unrelenting aggressiveness that will become the band’s trademark for future releases toward more sonic expansions. “Dödsrejson” is the longest track on the album and starts with heavy guitar riffage followed by mid-tempo drums and wicked black metal growls and grooving guitars. The ambient feel of the songs is perfectly layered as every track is fueled by heavy guitar bombardments. Ondfødt’s fourth album “Det Österbottniska Mörkre” could have been better if the band had added a dark, brooding atmosphere to the composition. But nevertheless, there is a lot to digest here from the outstanding guitar work and the loud, pummeling drums.

REVIEW SCORE

  • Music / Songwriting 8/10
  • Vocals / Lyrics 8/10
  • Mix / Production 8/10
  • Artwork & Packaging 8/10
  • Originality 8/10
8

The Finnish quartet is ascending to a new level of musical coherence, proving that they are still going strong after a decade of inception.

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